Research

Adherence

Approximately half of patients with type 2 diabetes discontinue SGLT-2 inhibitors or GLP-1 receptor agonists within five years, but a significant portion (approx. 25%) reinitiates therapy within one year of discontinuation, suggesting many discontinuations are temporary pauses rather than permanent abandonment.

If you stop your SGLT-2 inhibitor or GLP-1 RA, it doesn't mean you are done with it. About 1 in 4 people restart within a year. This often happens after a hospital stay. If you pause your medication due to illness or surgery, ask your doctor to help you restart it as soon as it is safe, so you don't lose the long-term heart and kidney benefits.

GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
The absolute five-year risk of discontinuing therapy was 56% (95% CI: 55–57) and 45% (45–46) for SGLT2-i- and GLP1-RA users, respectively... The subsequent one-year probability of reinitiating therapy was 24% (95% CI: 24–25) for initial SGLT2-i users and 26% (25–27) for GLP1-RA users.
Mariam Elmegaard Malik et al. · The Lancet Regional Health - Europe · 2023

Why this rating

Large nationwide registry study (N > 130,000) with long follow-up (up to 9 years), though observational design limits causal inference on reasons for discontinuation.

Source

Discontinuation and reinitiation of SGLT-2 inhibitors and GLP-1R agonists in patients with type 2 diabetes: a nationwide study from 2013 to 2021

Mariam Elmegaard Malik et al. · The Lancet Regional Health - Europe · 2023

cohort · n=133782Cited 59×
Read the paper

This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →